


Moving Forward

by Katie237



Series: Identity [4]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cute, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Moving On, TornadoTwins, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-07-03 18:46:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15824775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katie237/pseuds/Katie237
Summary: Companion piece to The long way Home. After Olivia, the young woman Barry once saw as a sister, sacrificed herself to save him, Central City's hero had no choice but to move on. During the following years, Barry learned to balance his life as a hero, as a surrogate father to Lindy and as the father of three children of his own. Missing scenes taking place during the 18 years' time-jump in the final chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the companion piece of my trilogy. Most of the chapters will be pretty short, but some will be longer for sure and will take place during the 18 missing years at the end of the trilogy (Wounds of the Soul/Wound of the Spirit/Long Way home).
> 
> If you haven't read the stories, you can still read this and enjoy the fluffy moments of Barry becoming a surrogate and a real dad to adorable children. Just know that long story short, in the trilogy, Barry got kidnapped and tortured for a long time and, during that time, he grew really close to another prisoner, Matt. Matt got kidnapped while his wife was pregnant with their 3rd child and he died before he could see his baby, Lindy. Plus, Barry eventually goes home and heal all his physical and mental wounds thanks to a woman he came to love as a sister, a healing Metahuman called Olivia, who ended up sacrificing herself to save his life.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy the cute moments!

The sound of footsteps entering the lab barely made it to the speedster's ears as he was sitting on the cold Cortex's floor and facing the end of the room where both his and Olivia's suits were on display.

"I knew I would find you here," came Joe's sympathetic voice.

Of course, Iris would call him. It wasn't surprising considering the way the speedster rambled about not feeling well and needing some air before leaving the party in a hurry. Lindy's first birthday party.

"Why did Amanda even invite me and Iris? We shouldn't be there. Matt should've been there and this girl should be with her family," slowly said Barry, bringing his knees closer to his upper body as he spoke without breaking eye contact with the blue suit that used to belong to his friend.

Joe sighed deeply and grunted as his older body protested slightly when he went down to the floor to join his surrogate son.

"Barr, you are part of her family now. You're gonna need to grasp that fact."

For the first time in the conversation, Barry looked up at his foster dad with tears in his eyes, "that girl is one year old, Joe. You didn't see her; she's walking now and she's starting to talk. Soon, she's going to interact more and more with other kids and realize most families have two parents and she's going to start asking questions about her dad. I'm not him. I'm an impostor. Matt is her real father. "

Joe frowned, looking dead serious as he pronounced the next words, "so, what you're saying is that I'm an impostor?"

Barry's mouth opened up, first in confusion, until the realization of his words sank in and his eyes widened, forcing him to swiftly shake his head, "it's not what I meant. It's not the same thing, I'm-"

"You're not Lindy's father, I get that. Just like I'm not yours," said Joe with a serious expression on his face, just enough to make the hero nervous and wondering if he had really insulted Joe without wanting to.

"It's not like that," Barry tried to correct himself, "it's not the same thing. Lindy has her mother and her aunt. And, she would have her dad too, had I been more careful and prepared one year ago."

The hero looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up once more, looking at Olivia's suit. Softening his features, Joe took a more compassionate expression as he softly added, "look, her aunt lives in Keystone with her own family and can't always drop everything to help her sister with every day's issues. You, on the other hand, barely lives a couple of blocks away. You can help Amanda and you have, many times, during the last year. You don't have to be blood to be family. I thought you would know that by now."

It was with a bittersweet smile on his lips that Barry answered, "yeah, I guess I do. I just miss Matt. I just miss them," he said, looking at the empty suit and trying not to tear up too much.

Gently, Joe laid his arm around the younger man's shoulders and gently drew him closer, "I know you do, Barr."

Failing at keeping his emotions at bay, the man felt tears slowly cascading down his cheeks, "I can't believe it's almost been a full year, I just wish it would stop hurting."

"You can't let your past drag you down, Barr. Matthew and Olivia will always be part of you, but they're gone now. I never knew the real Matthew, but the way you spoke about him and from the time I go to spend with Olivia I know that if they were here right now they would want you to keep going, keep living and growing. Lindy can't have her dad back, but she's still gonna need a strong rock in her life. She's gonna need someone with her, in the present, not someone who lives in the past."

Barry swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes while he was working to get his emotions back under his control. Joe was right, he always was. How could someone be this strong despite everything that happened in his life?

"I wish I was as strong as you," whispered Barry as his head lay resting against his foster dad's shoulder.

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Barr. Don't try to be Matthew. Don't try to be Matthew's replacement. Just be yourself. Be the person you know you are and the person Matt and Olivia saw in you and cared about so much that they gave everything for you. Just be that person for everyone in your life and be the strong man I know you are. And, when you'll falter, we'll all be there for you, we're not going anywhere."

Taking a deep breath, Barry smiled softly and looked up one last time at the blue and white suit. Yeah, he could do it. He was going to do it, He was going to be a great husband to his wife Iris, a great hero to the town and everything Amanda and Lindy needed of him.


	2. July 2021

"Is everyone alright?" Shouted the Flash at the top of his lungs while scrutinizing that crowd mostly composed of young children and their parents as everyone had finally stopped running in all directions in the park.

The family members were now rushing back, hugging and checking each other out once realizing the fight was done. Once again, the Flash came out victorious and the dangerous Metahuman was neutralized and handcuffed on the ground. The threat was over, everyone was safe and the Metahuman was getting picked up by the police at this very instant.

Despite the remaining debris scattered on the ground and the dust still floating in the air, reminders of the explosive, to say the least, fight, nobody seemed injured worse than bruises and minor wounds. In other words, nothing the paramedics couldn't handle.

Advancing forward by just a couple of feet, the Scarlet speedster stopped next to the bronze statue standing proudly in the middle of the park and hold his breath without realizing he was doing it.

The tall bronze statue was representing a slim and feminine figure looking forward with eagle' eyes while wearing a perfectly sculpted suit, a mask around her eyes and half-finger gauntlets on her hands. The sculptor did an incredible job capturing the essence of the model's strength and courage in her features as it really looked like the bronze sculpture was sharply keeping vigil over the population of the town with her hands raised forward.

Olivia Woodward, the woman who saved the Flash - March 2017 the silver plaque under it said.

Carefully, Barry laid his hands on the bronze legs and looked up at it, "hey girl, you okay?" He softly asked with worry. It was almost with the same kind of concern he would demonstrate to a real-life person that Barry scrutinized every detail of the lifeless figurine for any sign of damage. The statue might not be alive, but it didn't stop the hero's heart to start pumping faster as he analysed every detail of it.

His attention got drawn away from the representation of his old friend when the corner of his eye spotted a little form rushing in his direction as fast as possible for the little legs. Turning around, Barry holds in a gasp as he instantly recognized the little, black-haired lady wearing pink shorts, a white t-shirt and a red hat with a Flash's lightning on it. There was no doubt about her identity.

"Flash! Flash!" shouted the excited little Lindy Carter to the hero as he knelt to the ground to be on the same level than her. With Matt's widow following closely behind, the speedster made sure to keep on vibrating his face and voice. Hopefully, that distorted sight and sound weren't going to scare away the little girl.

"Hey little one," softly said Barry with his left knee in the sand and his left hand right in front of it while his other arm was bent and resting on his opposite knee to meet the small girl, "shouldn't you be with your mom?"

Looking a bit up for a second, the speedster indicated with a slight nod to the girl's mother that he had everything under control. Nodding back, Amanda stopped in her a track around 20 feet back or so back.

"My mom said you knew my daddy," declared little Lindy. Her eyes were filled with all the curiosity that should be in a child of her age but also filled with the innocence that was making her unable to fully comprehend the emotions she could cause to the hero by mentioning the man who once was the hero's friend. The hero's brother.

Under the weight of the emotions, Barry felt the shiver passing through him. A shaky breath and a moment to swallow the lump in his throat was what it took for the hero to get ready to answer. Looking up once again at Amanda, he saw the same flashes of sadness in her own eyes.

"You're the little Carter, aren't you? Amanda Carter's daughter?" He asked, earning a quick nod from the girl, "yeah, I knew your dad," Barry was barely controlling his voice. Thank God for the vibration in it that was covering most of the emotion.

"My mom also said my dad was a hero," innocently added little Lindy before putting both her hands behind her head and dancing on her little feet, blushing, as she now just seemed to realize who she was really talking to; The Flash. Central City's finest.

Barry nodded heartfully, "You daddy was one of the best people I've ever known," he instantly said, without missing a beat, "he was a great hero."

Lindy smiled proudly, "is it true he saved your life? And my uncle BB's life?"

"Yeah, it is," answered Barry as the little girl pointed the statue next to them.

"Like she did?"

Barry scoffed, that girl really knew her stuff. No wonder, though, as her mom had been telling her stories about the Flash and her deceased husband since that little girl was born. Forcing himself to look up again at Olivia's representation, Barry almost choked out on his words, "yeah, yeah...just like her."

Finding the strength to look away, he stared into Lindy's eyes before speaking again, "you're a precious little princess, daughter of a great warrior. Always remember that."

"I will, I promise!" Swore the little girl, straightening herself and slightly getting up on her toes to look as tall as she possibly could as she was taking the oath.

Unable to take it anymore, Barry opened up his arms wide. Wasting no time, the little girl jumped at him, passing her delicate arms behind his neck and holding the hero as tight as possible while Barry returned the gesture. When he got back up, with the little Lindy in his arms, it was to witness Amanda coming closer to him in order to pick up her daughter. As the single woman found herself right in front of the hero and extended her arms to silently ask for her daughter, Barry saw the tears that had risen up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Flash, if she's bothering you," she apologized.

"Not at all," said Barry, smiling, even though it was hard to tell as his face was still vibrating. While Amanda hadn't seen the speedster this close and personal for years, she was getting quite familiar with the man under the mask and would have recognized him quite fast. "Your daughter is wonderful," he said as he handed Lindy over to her mother.

"Thanks."

As Barry let go of the girl and watched little Lindy slowly move away with her mother, his attention turned toward the crowd gathered behind him. It was only now that he finally noticed the cameras surrounding him and watching in silence the close and personal moment he just shared with a little victim he saved. Glancing around, he spotted the one person, the one journalist, who knew the truth; his wonderful wife who was smiling proudly at him behind the police line. More than proud, she looked moved. One day, eventually, he was going to make a great dad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is there anyone reading and liking this? Do you want me to keep posting or not?


	3. 2024, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving one last chance to this story. let me know if you want it. Might stop posting for this or just take it down

Taking a peek inside the Carters' living room, Barry smiled as he finally found the six years old little girl he was looking for. Her beautiful curly hair was almost touching the ground as the girl was sitting in her pyjamas on the hardwood floor and intensively looking at something laying on the floor in front of her. With her elementary school having a day off, while it wasn't the case for her brothers' high school and their mother was working, it was up to the speedster to take care of his friend's daughter. Hard to believe that Matthew and Amanda's last born was already in Elementary school and had been there for a couple of years now. Time sure flies. Lindy wasn't a little baby anymore; she was a young girl slowly getting into her stride into this world. If only this world wasn't so dangerous… it would make Barry sleep a lot easier at night as the girl's safety was making the hero more nervous that he was willing to admit out loud. Maybe it was partly because he still didn't have any children of his own and the fact he helped, many times, taking care of this young lady for almost seven years now.

"What are doing, little Peanut?" He gently inquired as he entered the living room.

Moving closer, Barry instantly recognized the book Lindy was looking at and it wasn't one of her own; it was a family's photo album, her mom's favorited album. It was the one Barry got to look at many, many years ago as he was still trying to deal with his friend's passing. The young lady froze up at the sound of his voice, clearly too absorbed by what she was doing to hear the approaching footsteps.

"Wasn't doing anything wrong, uncle BB," she protested nervously as she turned around.

She knew he knew. She knew that Barry was probably aware she found this in her mother's room while looking for the toy that had been confiscated from her yesterday. Instead of getting angry, Barry smiled and moved his long legs toward the comfortable grey armchair behind the little Lindy, where he sat down.

"Come here Peanut, show me what you got," he said, inviting the young lady to join, which she did by climbing on his lap and putting her album in front of both of them.

Looking down at the pages opened in front of him, the hero found himself forced to suppress the emotions he thought had long been taking care of. Matt died seven years ago, why was it still hurting? Matt was present in half of the four photos by page and all of them had been taken years before he got captured.

"That's my daddy," explained Lindy while putting her small finger over the protective plastic page covering the photos.

"Yeah, it is," agreed on Barry as he looked at the way the girl's hands ghosted over the photo before gently going to her own face to feel her nose and face as if she was still searching for a connection with the man in the photos. No matter how many pictures and videos she had seen in her past from the missing man, it never seemed to be enough to stop her seemingly endless quest to connect with her father. As Lindy was talking, Barry was gently playing with her beautiful hair and braiding them to keep his focus on the present.

"Flash told me he was a hero," proudly said the young girl who turned her head around to look at the closest person she had as a father figure with bright eyes.

"He did, didn't he?" Gently teased back the speedster, knowing how much Matt's daughter treasured the one moment she got with the Scarlet Speedster a couple of years ago. Nothing was making her more chatty or happy then talking about it.

"Yeah, he did!" She assured, puffing her delicate chest with pride, "I can prove it!"

Barry chuckled, "I know you can, little Peanut."

Of course, a shot a CCPN photographer managed to capture of the Flash hugging a little girl in the middle of the park after a job well done made the front page. Amanda had since treasured a copy of that front page, plus Iris made sure to send the family a digital copy of the picture.

Barry and Lindy flipped through the pages of old memories in almost complete silence as the little girl was in almost complete awe from watching unseen before pictures of someone even The Flash called a hero, someone who was her father. It was until she paused and said, shyly and uncertain: "You think he would've liked me?"

Barry's heart clenched at the sudden change of tone in Lindy's voice, "he loved you, even before you were born. He loved you with everything he had," he assured.

Her small head slowly turned again to look straight at the man's face before carefully asking the one question in her mind, "do you love me too?"

"Of course, I do," he answered without missing a heartbeat.

"Are you going to leave me too?"

Oh, Lindy. The man's long arms instantly wrapped themselves around the little form, comforting and protecting her like she was his own, "I'll never leave you. Ever," he assured her as he felt the little body shifting on his lap in order to position herself in a way that allowed her to return the warm embrace.

It was at that moment that Barry truly understood what it was like to love a child as much as if they were your own. He might not have kids of his own just yet, but somehow, instinctively, he knew that the feeling deep down in his guts was the same thing he was going to feel with them. Other than in babysitting context, he might not be feeding his friend's daughter and he probably wasn't going to teach her how to drive or drove her off the college, but he still wanted, with all his soul, to keep her protected from all harm. Fear or all the dangerous variables out there that might hurt that kind soul was mixing with love for the girl.

Looking up at the calendar, Barry got reminded of the date. Already February 19th, 2024. The team only had a bit more than two months to avoid his fate announced in the newspapers from the future; his future disappearance fighting his enemy Reverse Flash. He couldn't let this happen, he couldn't abandon the girl.

It was lost in his thoughts that Barry left the house once Amanda's oldest sons had returned home to come to look after their little sister. As he entered his loft, he instantly felt that something was different. Indeed, almost every light of the loft had either been dimmed or simply turned off. In the almost complete darkness, the speedster ended up being attracted to the dining room that happened to be the only lighten up spot of his home. As his eyes settled on the dinner table and on his wife silently standing behind it, his confusion turned into understanding and his eyes widened. There, on the table, laid his red Flash boots on the right side of the table while Iris' red high heel shoes had been put down on the left side of it and, in the middle of the two pairs, the smallest pair of red boots Barry had ever seen.

"Iris? Are you-" He stuttered, his eyes filling with tears of joy.

Unable to finish his sentence, he swallowed his saliva as his wife just nodded, eyes full of happy tears. If it wasn't confirmation enough, her right hand was resting on her stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you appreciated this chapter. Let me know in the comments.


	4. 2024, part 2

**April 28th, 2024**

It was with her white medical bag tightly secured under her arm and with the strap over her head that Caitlin was dashing through the hallway of Iris and Barry's building. Well, more like just Iris' building now. They tried, they really did, with everything they had... but they failed. Badly. Despite all of their efforts, they couldn't stop the future they had been aware of for the better part of nine years and had been desperately trying to avoid for the most part of the last year. It had all been in vain as Barry went M.I.A. while fighting with his arch-enemy Reverse Flash.

They weren't going to give up, they were going to keep on searching 'til their last breath if they had to. Except, they had nothing to go on at the moment. Not a single thing. And, as if that wasn't enough, the Team couldn't fall apart, not even for a second, as they needed to stand tall and stay strong for Iris. Their friend's pregnant wife was going to need all the support she could get even once she would feel ready to get out of the apartment she locked herself in after the disappearance of her husband four days ago.

Thirty minutes ago, the three months pregnant Iris had called Caitlin, crying over the phone, to ask the doctor to come over. Before the doctor could get any extra information about what the situation, she got hung out on and got left wondering on her own. Was the baby okay?

"Iris? You're in there?" Inquired Caitlin as she knocked down the door, worried soaking in all her words.

Putting her ear against the door, all she managed to hear was a distant sobbing. Carefully moving her free arm forward, the one that wasn't holding the bag, she grabbed the door' knob and turned it to instantly confirm it wasn't locked. Opening the door all the way and taking a peek inside, Caitlin quickly spotted her friend sitting at the kitchen's table with her elbows on the furniture and her head between her hands. At least, she didn't look hurt or in pain. Well, not physically speaking.

"Iris?" She gently asked again. As she made her way to the pregnant woman, the doctor got rewarded when the reporter finally looked up at her, "what's going on?"

Wiping her tears and her runny nose, Iris finally managed to slowly speak, "went to my scan today and… the..."

Caitlin frowned, worried again as she dared to look down at the slightly showing belly, "is the baby okay?"

Iris shook out her head as she was gathering herself under a comforting hand that was slowly massaging her back, "I'm having twins."

Caitlin froze up for a second, it wasn't the answer she was expecting. For one second, she almost dared to ask if it was a good thing or not. Thankfully she stopped before the stupid question could get out. Not only the team had to worry about the possibility of never seeing their friend again, Iris had been left wondering if she was going to raise a child on her own. Now, she was left wondering how she was going to raise two children alone.

"Oh honey, it's going to be okay," whispered Caitlin and strongly wrapping her arms against the other woman, "you're not alone, you'll never be," she promised. No matter what the future was holding, they would face their trouble together.

**July 30th, 2024**

"Where is he? Where is he?!" Iris' voice boomed as she dashed into the cortex as fast as she possibly could while carrying around her huge 6 months old pregnant belly filled with quickly growing twins. It wasn't that quick, to be honest, but it was enough to force her dad to take long strides behind to keep on with her. Her tired and swollen feet had somehow found a renewed energy the instant she found out, on her way back from her last follow-up test with the doctor, that her husband had been found by Cisco. Apparently, the hero had found himself trapped, alone and starving, in another dimension.

"Let me see him," she ordered while pushing Cisco and his fiancé Gypsy, who were both still in fighting uniform, out of the way to access the medical bay where their doctor friend was working on a barely conscious form laying on the bed.

When the head on the bed turned on his side and let his wife see his face that was covered with blood and cuts, Iris almost stopped breathing. He now was all skin and bones and he looked like a skeleton. Barry looked like death... but he wasn't. He was alive. They succeeded in finding him alive.

"Oh God," she whispered, frozen in her track. Everything and everyone else around her was suddenly forgotten in an instant.

The empty and exhausted looking green eyes looked up at her face and after a long moment of staring at his wife, a small smile appeared on the wounded hero's lips as flashes of recognition passed into them. His weak, just as skinny, right hand slowly moved on the bed, desperately and silently trying to reach out for his wife from whom he had been separated for a full 3 months. His motion got brutally stopped as Barry's eyes fell on the swollen belly. Instantly, his tired eyes widened as much as they could despite the ugly looking infection that was keeping them to open more than halfway.

"I… 'is... baby?" He struggled to say before closing his eyes tightly and coughing deeply under the effort of saying those simple and short words.

"Shh... don't try to talk too much," instructed Caitlin, pushing him back on the bed.

"They're okay, both of them," answered Iris while smiling and gently rubbing her huge belly.

They? Both of them? Upon hearing these words, Barry somehow managed to almost fully open up his eyes in shock despite his injuries and condition, which caused the team around to giggle lightly. Someone sure had a lot to catch up on. It probably wasn't a good time for Cisco to ask about the still empty best-man spot at his quickly approaching wedding.

**September 2024**

"I don't think I can do this, man. I don't even have a backup plan ready in case all goes wrong. What if it doesn't work? What if... I don't think I'll survive this mission," rambled Cisco who was looking around for any opening until his best friend strongly grabbed his shoulder to keep him grounded.

"Relax, you're gonna be fine."

"I wish you're right," Cisco replied nervously, throwing nervous glances around as if he was getting reading to bolt or breach away. Poor guy looked convinced he was going to get devoured by what was about to come out of the door on the other side of the room. Good thing he had his best friend by his side to keep him safe.

It took a full month, but Barry finally managed to completely recuperate from his ordeal. Central City's hero was now completely back, physically and mentally, from everything that happened to him and he now looked exactly as he did before; like a strong and mature thirty-five years old husband who was about to become a dad. With thirty-three weeks down, it wasn't going to be long now until his children would be born, especially not when it comes to twins. The speedster was going to be a dad in merely a couple of weeks, which was probably a good thing for Iris whose belly looked like it was about to explode at any second like an overinflated balloon. Well, to be exact, Barry was weeks away from becoming a biological father as he had already been an incredible father figure to the little Lindy.

Looking at the crowd, Barry took the time to spot his wife and smile at her as she took a seat in the second row, right between her dad and Caitlin. Returning his attention to his best friend, Barry chuckled lightly as he saw the sweat shining brightly on his Cisco's face, "seriously? After everything we've been through in the last 10 years, this is the scariest thing you've ever done?':

"Of course it is, what if he kills me before he gets close?"

Barry snorted and slightly shook his friend's shoulder before letting go of it, "stop worrying. Everything will be fine and nothing will disrupt your wedding."

Cisco closed his eyes for a second to take a deep breath. What could possibly happen? Well, other than Breacher changing his mind at the last second and deciding once more that the man was better dead than being the husband of his daughter? Hopefully, the team wasn't going to fight a Nazi invasion, or not before the end of the ceremony. Barry just had the worst luck when it comes to situations like that. On the bright side, Barry can at least say he had a pretty memorable wedding, seven years ago.

As soon as the ceremonial music started, the door opened widely to reveal a sublime Gypsy wearing a tight and sleeveless wedding dress with a medium long dress train following her every gracious step. The bride was delicately holding her father's arm who, somehow, managed to put himself in a full suit and was looking quite sharp. And... wait? Were Breacher's eyes red and puffy? From crying? Happy Tears? Barry quickly looked away as he realized he was staring at it, it was probably best to pretend he didn't see anything, especially if he wanted to stay alive. Still, Barry threw a side glance at his best friend, wondering if he saw it too. It didn't look like the groom saw that unusual detail as Cisco only had eyes, watery eyes, for his beautiful and breathtaking bride who was approaching. The scene had Barry's emotions and memories of his own wedding were coming back, remembering how he felt when his eyes laid on Iris.

Giving her flower bouquet to her bridesmaid, Gypsy climbed the steps one by one to join her soon-to-be husband. Both of them were struggling to keep their vision clear of tears.

Just as the priest started to open his mouth, an unexpected shout from the crowd drew everyone's attention away from the actual wedding and toward the source of the interruption. Right in the middle of the second row, Iris West-Allen was now standing in her royal blue loose dress with her eyes widened in shock and with her hands on her stomach as she looked at the spot she was just seated in.

"So, no interruption, hum?" Commented Cisco, quoting his friend from just moments earlier as Barry just stared at his wife like a deer caught in the headlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving this story one final shot at revival. Let me know if anyone actually read this and wants more :) 
> 
> On a side note: I couldn't resist a little whump and worry in this story and I regret nothing. Was I evil to interrupt the wedding? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.


	5. February 2029

Coming back to his home, his wife and his children was never going to get old. How could it? They were his everything, always will be. As much as he loved his loft, the first home he got to share with Iris, the whole place grew exponentially smaller once it became the roof to twins and their parents, which prompted the hero to search for a new, much bigger place to live. And he did. Indeed, a little over a year after the twin's birth the whole family moved out of the loft and into their beautiful home.

"Iris, you're there?" Called out the thirty-nine-year-old Barry as he walked into the home he bought two years ago and dropped off his CSI kit in the lobby.

Except, his noble quest to find his queen got delayed as on his way to search the kitchen, he found the twins Dawn and Don playing in the living room. Both children were seated in their low green child's table and painting on their own. Where was their mother?

"Daddy!" Joyfully exclaimed Dawn, the little girl with bright red hair just like her brother. Everyone wondered how the twins ended up with that colour, genetics were quite odd and surprising sometimes.

"Hey young lady, how was your day?" Asked her father who picked up the girl in his arm and smiling at his son who waved in excitement at his dad before going back to his apparently crucial painting task.

"There was a monster in the backyard! A gigantic monster!" The little girl explained, gesticulating all around.

"That sounds terrifying!" Barry gasped overly dramatically, "where's your mother?"

"I'm here," a voice answered as the woman in question suddenly appeared in the hallway carrying the paper towel roll, "and the monster was a deer who somehow found its way into town."

Looking down, Barry backed up as he realized he was only one step away from stepping in a puddle of compote on the ground. Apparently, there never was a dull moment with twins. Not that he didn't know that by now. With his attitude and their mother's brain, Dawn and Don always managed to come with new creative ways to get themselves into trouble.

"You're early," commented Iris as she approached the man to kiss her husband of a little over eleven years now, "how did it go?"

"It went great," said Barry while delicately putting his daughter on the ground so she could return playing with her brother. "I think Lindy was really happy that I was able to make it," he commented, smiling proudly. He always seemed to have a smile on his lips every time he would come back from spending sometimes with Matt and Amanda's twelve years old daughter.

"I'm glad she invited me," he commented.

Iris smiled back at him, "of course she did, she adores you. Plus, considering both her mother and aunt have office jobs, I think yours is way cooler from her point of view."

Yeah, it makes sense. While it was a pretty logical answer, Barry still wanted to believe the main reason Lindy asked him to come to her school to present his job with her during her special oral presentation of a relative's job was that she was looking up to him.

"Plus," added Iris with her eyes brightening up in the same way they usually do when she's about to playfully tease the speedster, "not sure why you're surprised as you're her Uncle BB."

Despite the speedster's best effort to stay serious, he couldn't stop his lips to twitch into a smile, "don't remind her of that. Every time I tried telling her that's how she used to call me she just blushes and deny it ever happened."

Putting down the cleaning supplies on the living room table so she could free her hands, Iris wrapped her arms around her husband and drew him closer, "that's because she's becoming a lady, you can't blame her."

Yeah, she was. No doubt about it. She wasn't a little girl anymore.

"I guess so. Even if I kind of miss when she was a small and adorable little peanut."

Iris inhaled deeply, taking in the nice smell of the Flash, "something tells me she'll always be a little peanut to you, no matter how much she grows up. That's how parenting works."

The word parenting had Barry blushing slightly. Even after twelve years of being by the girl's side and dropping every once in a while, for a visit, to help or just to do some activities between the West-Allen and the Carter family, it was still sounding weird to be referred as some sort of father figure to the girl.

"Come on, let me do this," he added, feeling the need to change the subject, as Iris was leaning forward to grab back the disinfectant and the paper towel to clean up the last mess the twins managed to do. Super speeding for half a second, he took the cleaning supplies away from her, "you just take it easy."

As Barry knelt to the ground to get started on his task, a familiar sound found its way to his ears and had his furrow deepened in confusion. It almost sounded like something, or someone was vibrating. The way his wife deeply breathed out in his back could only mean he wasn't hallucinating it.

Turning around, Barry got a quick glimpse of his twins, who were now seated on the ground and placed face to face. Both twins were intensely staring at Dawn's arm as the little girl's limb was shaking. No, not shaking, clearly vibrating. They weren't going to get out of this speedster legacy easily. Don just stared at his twin sister for a few seconds 'til he started raising his arm up too, shaking it fast and dangerously close to vibrating like Dawn.

Both parents just stared at each other 'til Barry sighed, discouraged, despite the small and slightly amused smile on his lips.

"Why is the universe making us deal with two speedsters in the making at the same time?"

Instead of laughing, Iris froze and her left hand went to her thin stomach.

"I guess now isn't the right time to tell you I'm pregnant?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perfect timing, right? Leave a comment, always so deeply appreciated.
> 
> Anyone wants some more Barry/Lindy stuff later on?


	6. November 2029

**November 2nd, 2029**

It was with his elbows on his knees and the bottom of the palm of his hands pressing hard against his forehead that Barry was desperately trying to keep control over his emotions. It wasn't supposed to happen, it shouldn't be happening. It just wasn't happening. That's what his mind was trying to convince him as it would somehow make it real. Everyone always says that the first birth is with the hardest one and it shouldn't be any other way considering how Iris gave birth to premature twins the first time around. Thankfully last time, despite the long labour and the fact the children came out a bit prematurely, everything ended up smoothly.

But now?

Things went from good to worst as complications started piling up one after the other, which quickly prompted the doctors to shove Barry out of the room and rush his wife in urgent and immediate surgery. Was his wife going to be ok? What about the baby? How long has he been sitting there, silent and waiting for news? Every time he would look at his watch, his brain would almost instantly forget the information he got as his whole soul and body were too profoundly preoccupied with the fate of his family to think about anything else.

The vibrations in his side jean pocket had him clumsily plunging his right hand in his pocket to retrieve his cell phone while walking out of the waiting room under the annoyed glance of the nurse pointing at the no phone sign on the wall.

"Hey man," he tiredly said after accepting the call the second he stepped outside in the cold November's wind.

"Hey," answered back Cisco's tired voice, which wasn't surprising considering it was three am, "any news?"

Barry silently shook his head for a moment before realizing his friend couldn't see his motion over the line, "nothing. She's still in surgery as far as I know."

On the other side of the line, Cisco exhaled deeply, "I'm sorry, man, if there's anything I can do-"

"You already are doing something," interrupted Barry, "by taking care of the twins."

"Of course, you know I love taking care of these two," answered Cisco, even if he really wished he could do more. He was supposed to be a superhero, and yet, there was nothing he could do to ensure his best friend's wife and newborn well-being.

"How are they?" Asked Barry.

"They're good. In fact, the twins played so much with Holly that Gypsy and I had quite the hard time putting the kids to bed."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Barry couldn't contain his half-smile; it sure sounded like his two firstborns. It was always nice to know these two were slowly starting to bond with Cisco and Cynthia's two-year-old little girl. Except, his smile faded quickly as his brain reminded him of the situation he now found himself in. Taking a peek inside the hospital's waiting room, he spotted his wife's doctor looking around and exchanging a couple of words with the guard nurse. Barry's heartbeat instantly picked up the pace, "the doctor's back, I gotta go," he informed his friend.

"Keep me updated," hurriedly requested Cisco before the call ended and the speedster walked as fast as possible, without running or using superspeed to get back inside.

His quick movements caught the eye of the doctor who instantly recognized the worried husband, "Mr. Allen, your wife is out of surgery now and she's resting."

"Is she okay? What about the baby?" Barry asked worriedly.

The way the other man kept his neutral composure while the hero was throwing his desperate questions was driving the speedster crazier that he was willing to say. He needed answers and he needed them now.

"As I said, your wife is resting. The operation went as planned, despite the circumstances, but we had to sedate your wife so the pain wouldn't disturb her sleep. She should be sleeping for a couple more hours."

Finally, some good news. The speedster finally found himself able to breathe just a tad easier. But, what about. Before he could open his mouths again, the doctor continued speaking, well aware of the man's worried for the couple's child.

"Your daughter has been taken in the paediatric unit. I'll let you know as soon as I know more, but she seems like a fighter. I'll make sure a nurse will come to get you as soon as your wife is ready for visitors."

She? So, it was a baby girl. This time around, the couple had decided against being made aware of the baby's gender before birth. Iris and Barry had both been preparing themselves for a happy surprise. A surprise it was. Sadly, it wasn't under the most fortunate of circumstances.

"Thank you, doctor," he said before returning to his place.

Not long after that, Barry ended up being allowed inside Iris' room where he was able to sit by her side. As his eyes were carefully following Iris' chest rising and falling, waiting for her to come back to him, he started humming Breath by Pearl Jam. It took many hours for Iris to finally open her eyes again and, when they did, they were filled with a mix of pain and confusion. Her eyes darted around for a moment until they finally landed on her husband who had jumped to his feet.

"It's okay, you're okay," quickly rambled the speedster while leaning forward to stroke her forehead.

"The baby?" Asked Iris while slowly looking around. Her breath got caught in her throat for a second when she spotted the empty bassinet right next to her husband. Iris' heartbeat picked up the pace on the monitor and the IV in her hand threatened to come out and deprive the woman of the pain medication when she started struggling to try and get a better view of the whole room.

"You just got out of surgery hours ago, you have to take it easy," said Barry as gently as possible.

"The b-" started to repeat his exhausted wife, with pleading eyes, but stopped herself when a cry of pain escaped her lips after another stronger attempt at moving around was made.

"Take it easy, the doctor is gonna come as soon as he can with an update. He told me she's a fighter. Are you in pain?"

The desperate mother didn't answer. Her glance fell at the partly opened door of her private room when she saw a nurse passing by while holding tightly the smallest baby Iris had ever seen. She needed her baby. Did Barry say it was a girl? Iris just wanted to protest and get out of bed to search her daughter herself if she had to, but she was just so damn tired and the medication just drew her back into oblivion. Through the rest of the night and the whole morning, Barry slept by her side on his cheap plastic chair, only to be woken up every now and again by the nurse checking on the new mother. There's not much he wouldn't have given right now to get a real update on his baby, other than the fact she was being taken care of.

It was almost a full day after the little girl's birth that the doctor entered the room while being closely followed by a nurse carrying a small baby wrapped in many blankets. Both members of the hospital's medical personnel arrived just as Barry was almost done helping Iris return to the bed after her first time getting back on her feet after the C-section. Her beautiful baby girl was right there, barely feet away.

"Since she's doing a lot better, I thought she could get a couple of minutes with her parents," introduced the doctor.

While the little girl might've looked small and fragile to some, for her parents, she was one of the most beautiful things they've ever seen. All discomforts forgotten, Iris prompted herself on her elbows and, despite her half-seated position, the new mom probably had a better view of the baby girl than her husband who had his eyes filled with happy tears. After a restless day full of worrying about the fate of his daughter and wife, Barry could finally be with both of them. Maybe, just maybe, his exhaustion was a significant factor why he was now overwhelmed by emotions.

As soon as his wife managed to prompt herself again the pillows and get into position, the beautiful baby girl got handed to her mother by the nurse. Not much, other than her delicate face, could be seen through the blankets, but from what the parents could see, she was beautiful.

If it wasn't enough to get Barry and Iris choking on their emotions, the small eyes opening to the world at the contact of her mother's arms did the trick, for both of them. The newborn had incredibly piercing green eyes, even more striking than her father's.

"And how are we feeling Mrs. West-Allen?" Asked the older doctor's voice, until he realized he should've asked that question before the baby was in her mother's arms as she was all the couple had eyes for.

"I'm... I... ca... couldn't be better," choked out Iris as her left hand delicately stroke the fragile cheek of her newborn, "she's... perfect."

Too emotional to speak up, Barry just nodded in approval.

"We're going to keep her under observation for another 48 hours, then she should be able to go home if you are too, Mrs. West-Allen," added the grey hair doctor, "does she has a name picked out yet?"

Barry nodded; they had been discussing lots of name' options in the last couple of weeks for both boy and girl. The speedster looked up at his wife who, instead, looked straight at the other man.

"Olivia. Olivia West-Allen," she answered without hesitation, successfully causing her husband to frown.

Barry's memory wasn't getting better as he was getting older, but he sure didn't remember discussing that name.

"Like the woman who saved the Flash," acknowledged the doctor.

That name had been quite a popular one from 2017 to about 2020 as people of the town still remembered clearly the sacrifice the young woman made to ensure their city still had a hero to protect them in the future.

"Can we have a moment alone?" Gently requested Barry who was now sitting on the side of the bed with his left around on his wife back and with his right hand resting on the blankets covering his newborn.

"Sure, I'll be back in a couple of minutes," said the doctor before striding out of the room with the nurse as he noted down the baby's new name. Barry waited 'till they were both out before gently addressing his wife.

"Are you sure about this? What about Aria like we discussed?"

Smiling tenderly, Iris didn't even look up at the hero as she didn't want to miss a single second of her newly born daughter's life, "look at her. She's just... perfect," she repeated, "and she wouldn't be here, just like you, if Olivia hadn't sacrificed herself. Plus, look at her eyes."

It would be lying to say that the woman, who died a little less than thirteen years ago, wasn't one of the first thought that got in Barry's head when he first saw his daughter's eyes. Olivia Woodward was the only person he ever saw who had such piercing and bright green eyes and even after all that time, he could still remember them just as clearly.

"Are you sure?"

As he spoke, Iris finally stared at him with her features full of endless love.

"As sure as I love you," she answered before kissing the hero with all the passion filling her heart.

"I love you too," he assured before looking at the window and mentally adding; thanks for bringing me home, Olivia. I miss you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment. Raise your hand if you still wanna hit me for killing Olivia in the trilogy...*whistle away* I can promise Lindy's return in the next chapter as we grow closer to the 2035 moment.


	7. September 2031

_September 2031:_

"Mom! Don is hurting me!" Screamed six years old Dawn to her mother as she was vigorously wrestling with her twin brother in the green field of the park.

"Don, play nice with your sister," reprimanded Iris who barely took a moment to take a look at the twins who were actively pushing each other around as she was busy comforting and rocking her seemingly inconsolable last born who wouldn't stop sobbing.

"It's okay, now. You're okay," soothed Iris to the almost two-year-old Olivia as she kissed her small reddened hand in an attempt to ease her daughter's discomfort.

The poor little girl earned her new battle scar thanks to a bee that wasn't too happy about the small human trying to steal her flowers. The creature would have preferred to see Olivia staying with her parents at the spot the family picked, instead of messing with her delicate work.

"Mom!" Protested Dawn again, "Don's-"

Iris sighed; their nice family picnic wasn't at all going the way they planned. All the West-Allen wanted was to enjoy the sunshine and the heat of this mid-September day. Especially since it was probably going to be one of the last hot days of the year before the cold of the fall and upcoming winter would engulf the town. Sadly, the universe had other plans for the little family. All it took was one small moment of inattention, as the parents were emptying their bag and basket of the towel and the plates, for little Olivia to walk away on her short legs. It wasn't long after, barely a couple of feet away from the spot, that she found the beautiful flowers that just happened to be the feast of a couple of bees. Of course, her cry for help quickly followed.

If it wasn't enough, the twins had decided that now was the perfect time to squabble, probably bored of having all the attention stolen away by their little sister.

"Maybe we should get back home," said Iris, looking up to her husband when her toddler's cry died out again.

"Give her to me," said Barry to his frazzled wife before gently kissing Iris on the forehead and extending his arm to accept his small, auburn hair and piercing eyes daughter who was still loudly sniffing, "go show these little devils who's the boss," he added while pointing at the twins with his head. No rest for the wicked. Or more like no rest, nor break ever, from being a parent.

Sitting on the towel, Barry watched his wife walk away and put the little girl on his lap. Just as his mind was starting to wander off, while rocking his little girl, Barry heard a familiar voice calling his name. One he hadn't heard in a very long time.

"Barry!" Exclaimed Lindy's happy voice, "how are you?"

How long has it been? Weeks? One month? Two? Can't have been more. Or, has it? It's sure has been a long, long time since they last spoke or had last seen each other. Not that anything transpired between them, life just happened and got in the way. After all, having a family of three children was a sure way to keep a man busy, and it's not like the not-so-little-anymore Lindy, nor his mother, needed his assistance in anything anymore. The girl had started her second year in high school and was living alone with her mother as both of her older brothers had left the state for college.

Lindy was now a teenager and a young lady slowly making her way toward adulthood. And, quite the busy person too; between school, friends and sports practices, there wasn't a lot of time left for an old family friend. It was entirely normal for a youngster like her to prefer spending time with a group of people of her age and with whom she was sharing similar interests. Under these circumstances, Barry wasn't blaming Lindy for taking distance, but it didn't mean he wasn't nostalgic about past times.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Barry to the young girl and her mother who were leaving the dirt path of the park to approach the West-Allens.

Before his question was over, the director of the CSI department put his daughter on the ground and got up to take a closer look at the visitors; the more she was growing up, the more Lindy resembled her mother.

"We were just on our way to grab something to eat and head back home," explained Amanda, Lindy's mother, who got close enough to hug the man just before her daughter could do the same.

Looking past the loving husband, Amanda waved at Iris who was finishing restoring some order between her twins. Meanwhile, smiling tenderly, Lindy gently sat on the ground in front of the little Olivia who still had still wet tears on her sad little face.

"What's up little one?" She asked at the small girl, "what's with the sad face?"

"Bad bee," exclaimed the little girl concisely, expressing herself with barely intelligible words.

Barry pointed at the bushes a couple of feet away from where some bees were still flying among the blooming flowers. Nodding, and acknowledging her understanding of the situation that unfolded, Lindy smiled at the little girl.

"Do you know why these bees are so protective of these flowers right there?" She asked the little girl mysteriously under Barry curious eyes, keeping silent and only observed the scene.

Interest and curiosity were flashing brightly in the little green piercing eyes as Olivia negatively shook her head. Smiling, Lindy jumped to her feet and walked to the flowers saying, "that's because these flowers have magical properties."

Too bad Lindy had her back turned on the girl since it caused her to miss the way the little face lighted up with amazement and delight, "really?" Shyly asked little Olivia who looked up at her father for confirmation.

Playing along, Barry just shrugged and pointed back at Lindy, "she's the magically flowers' expert."

"They can heal any wounds and make you feel better," explained Lindy with sureness while carefully choosing a bright yellow flower that wasn't surrounded by bees at the moment.

Taking it out of the ground, the turned around and moved back right in front of Olivia.

"Wanna try? Show me your hand, little Peanut," gently said Lindy.

Too amazed to say a word, the small girl just nodded and raised her reddened little hand. Coming back to the group, after making sure the twins would behave, for now, Iris moved next to her husband who passed his arm behind her shoulders to draw Iris her closer.

Oh, that last word, that nickname. Peanut. It sure brought back some memories to the speedster who used to say that same word when referring to Lindy when she was just a baby and a very young girl, a little something Lindy claimed to have forgotten a long time ago.

After a few seconds, Lindy started moving the flowers around in front of Olivia; first in a circle and, then, in seemingly random forms, Barry and Iris' last born just followed every single movement with her eyes 'til the bright flower finally landed on the back of her hand where it scrubbed against her limb a couple of there.

"There, can you feel it?" Asked Lindy who was still kneeling in front of the girl.

After a few moments where Olivia seemed to consider her condition intensively, her curious face turned into pure, overwhelmed, joy.

"It worked!" She exclaimed while jumping all around, ready to start dashing and running again like the happy two-year-old she was.

Oh, the power of the mind. Nothing like taking your mind off something to make everything better. Happy that that particular crisis was over, both parents chuckled lightly and looked at each other with love before addressing their daughter.

"Olivia, what do we say to Lindy?" Asked Barry who saw that his daughter was about to flee away.

"Thanks, Lily!" She exclaimed before dashing off.

"Thanks, Lindy, you're pretty good with children. I'm impressed," said Barry, slowly sitting on the ground next to his young friend.

Taking back a wick of black hair behind her ear, Lindy just shrugged it off, "oh, that was nothing. One of my best friends has a little sister who isn't much older."

"And she's been babysitting a little bit this summer," added her mother proudly. Her daughter was really coming into her strides.

At the mention of Lindy's summer experience, and Iris was seated again while still keeping a sharp eye on her children, the parents looked at each other with the same thought in mind. After pretty much living under the same roof their entire life, or almost, they've learned how to read each other's thought a long time ago. Approving her husband's idea, Iris silently nodded.

"Iris and I had been looking for a babysitter to look after the kids from time to time. Would you feel up to the task?" Barry asked to the delight of Matt's daughter.

"Of course, I'm interested! Whenever you need," instantly answered Lindy without hesitation.

It looked like the West-Allen and the Carter families weren't about to go on their separate way after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting close to the Long way home flashforward. Are you happy to see Lindy back? Let me know in the comments.


	8. June 2032

The car ride back home had been incredibly silent, and the tension was palpable in the air. Even the radio station Barry tried to listen got turned off instantly. When Iris bought her car for her family, as Barry couldn't speed everyone everywhere, they didn't think that one day they would be giving a ride to a moody teenager that wasn't their own.

The school year was now over and, in a real fifteen-year-old fashion, Lindy couldn't keep herself from sneaking out of the home to join a party she wasn't allowed to go. Amanda wasn't usually this strict with her daughter and, under any other circumstances, it wouldn't have mattered whether Lindy wanted to celebrate with her friends or not the end of the year.

Except, it wasn't under normal circumstances as there was a dangerous killer on the loose; a Meta that had been escaping Team Flash's grasp for the last couple of days and who had made three victims already. All thing considered, Barry couldn't blame Amanda for trying to protect her youngest child, who also happened to be her only daughter. Not only that, but Lindy was also the child her husband, Matt, never got the chance to see as he got captured and died when Lindy was just a newborn. The protective mother just couldn't let Matt down; the mother had to ensure her daughter's future and safety at all cost, even if it meant passing for a strict parent.

Metahuman on the loose or not, Lindy didn't want to risk being the only one of her close group of friends to not show up at this event. What would they think of her? What if they didn't invite her again after this? Her social life and school reputation were important to her, which wasn't unusual behaviour for a teenager in constant search of acceptance.

Except, when the alert got given that there was an attack in the park at the corner of the street and panic spread among the festive group of teens, Lindy found herself in a corner. Walking home alone in the dangerous roads, the same way she came, didn't seem like such a tempting idea at the moment and she couldn't find her so-called friends who were already gone, fleeing for their life like runaway thoroughbreds. Calling her mother was also out of the question as it would mean selling herself out in the process, so Barry seemed like the only viable option.

As soon as the little blue car parked in front of the beautiful white house of the Carter family, Lindy was quick into grabbing the door handle and opening it widely.

"Lindy, wait," requested Barry while extending his right arm to grab her.

Too late; the girl had already dodged his grasp and moved out of the car. The not-so-little-anymore teenager was moving too fast to be restrained, at least not without using his superspeed.

Stopping the engine, Barry jumped out of the vehicle and rushed around it in hope to prevent his young friend from running inside the house before they could share a single word. It was apparent that Lindy wasn't exactly excited to have been forced to call for help after doing something she had no doubt Barry disapproved just as much as her mom did.

"Lindy, come on. Stop!" said Barry while striding in front of her and touching the teenager's shoulder.

His actions only succeeded in getting his hand being roughly pushed off with obvious annoyance.

"Let me go; if I'm lucky nobody noticed my absence yet," she answered, grunting and trying to back off.

Keeping his stern look, an expression Barry managed to master with the years of dealing with the twins' shenanigan, the CSI persevered and managed to stay in the young woman's path.

"Come on, Lindy, we need to talk about tonight. You know there's a very, very dangerous killer on the loose right now, you can't just risk yourself like that," he reprimanded.

If it wasn't apparent that the young teenager was having a hard time keeping her composure, the way she tightened her fists and deeply inhaled confirmed it.

"I don't need to explain my actions to you," she growled threateningly, "I'm not a baby anymore."

"It's not like that; your mom is just worried about you. So was I when you called me to-"

Exasperated and not interested in the tirade and the speech that was probably coming, the teenager finally snapped, "why do you think you have a say in all of this? You don't have the right to tell me what to do with my life. You're not my uncle, and you're certainly not my father. We're not family, not in any way!"

On that note, Lindy just turned on her heels, moved around the older man and walked back inside her house without noticing the way Barry was frozen on the spot with shock and dread.

The speedster didn't remember running to S.T.A.R. Labs, but he knew he must've raced there considering the short amount of time it took to travel the distance. Anyway, the only thing that did matter was that he was there now. Entering the empty cortex, as everyone else went home for the night, Barry immediately spotted the reason why his unconscious mind dragged him there; the blue suit on display in the corner of the room. Of course.

Slowly, the man took the closest computer chair and rolled it all the way to the back of the room. Placing it in front of the suit, Barry let himself slump on it. Exhaustion was written all over his features and stretching his skin under his tired eyes even more. Of course, he wasn't Lindy's father; he knew that. He always did since day one. Barry could still remember coming here, in the cortex, the day of the girl's first birthday, he could clearly remember wondering what he was going to do with that whole situation as he was no Matt.

Hearing her saying he wasn't family shouldn't hurt, but it did.

Back then, and even before that, right after Matt's death, all the hero wanted to do was stay as far away as possible from this family. But, everything changed when his friendship with Amanda grew while both himself and Amanda were helping each other to get over the man's death. Soon enough, Barry found himself in a position where he could assist from time to time and, despite his initial reluctance, he grew fond of the young Lindy.

The harsh words that came out of the teenage were physically wounding his whole soul. And now, for the first time, Barry truly understood the real impact of the words he once told a long, long time ago when he reminded Joe he wasn't his father. That moment that transpired not that long after the CSI first got his powers came rushing back into Barry's mind like a tornado.

"Hey, Olivia," he told the suit, breaking the silence and looking up at it.

It's been fifteen years now since her death. Already. How old would she be today? Thirty-six? Thirty-five? For some reason, Barry would sometimes imagine her all grown up with a family and some beautiful children of her own. She would've known what to do.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here lately... guess life had been keeping me busy."

Upon finishing his sentence, the man paused for a second like he was somehow expecting some kind of answer, one that didn't come. Of course, it didn't.

"I really miss you," he continued, wiping his watery eyes, "I really don't know what to do right now. I'm sure you would've…I'm so, so sorry I let you down."

Pausing again, Barry starting sobbing as he felt that old wounds, he long thought healed, were reopening.

Olivia should've been the one to be here now. It's true that she didn't really know Matt, but she had kept him alive when he got tortured and turned into a mindless puppet, just like she did with Barry. Maybe fate would've somehow led her to Amanda. And, maybe...

No, not maybe, more like surely, she would've known how what to do.

"I shouldn't have survived back then, it should've been you who didn't make," he whispered while sadly looking down at his feet and the ground. If only this, if only that…

For half a second, the temptation of going back and fixing the mistake Olivia had made by sacrificing herself brushed his mind, but he dismissed it just as quickly. No, he learned a long time ago the consequences of time travel, and he now had three beautiful children he couldn't erase from existence.

It was dragging his feet on the cement, a full hours later, that Barry walked the remaining distance between his street's sidewalk and his house's front door. He should've called his wife to let her know where he was and why picking up Lindy was taking so long, but to be honest, he completely lost the sense of time in the cortex. This was actually a pretty common occurring while talking to Olivia, the woman who gave his life to save him many, many years ago.

"Iris, I'm home," he called out after opening the door while still being careful not to shout it too loudly as the kids had been put to bed before he even left to pick up Lindy at the party. He knew how worn up he was probably sounding but didn't feel like putting up his strong emotional wall, "where are you?"

"In the kitchen," answered back Iris' voice.

Smiling softly, for the first time since he received the call from Matt's daughter, Barry moved in the hallway and toward the kitchen knowing his wife would provide him with the comfort he so desperately needed.

Turning the corner, the first thing he saw was a young girl sitting at his kitchen table with her back turned on him and with long braided hair going down all the way 'til the middle of her back and over her blue t-shirt. A cup of hot tea was on the table between the visitor's hands. On the other side of the table was seated Iris, wearing a blue tank and pyjama bottom, and taking another sip of her own tea. Upon seeing her husband entering the room, the mother of Barry's children got up, at the same time as the visitor, the one Barry had recognized before she turned around.

Lindy.

Barry tensed up as Matt's daughter looked at him, but his features softened when he saw the tears marks on the young teenager's cheeks and her regretful expression.

"She came over a good half an hour ago," explained Iris, "she was worried about you, we both were. You left the car in front of her house."

"I'm sorry, I just needed a walk," explained Barry, fully aware that Iris probably had a pretty good idea where he could've been.

"Barry, what I said earlier..." Lindy slowly started before moisturizing her lips as she searched the right words, "I'm so sorry about how it came out."

The remorse was genuine. Of course, it was, why else would've Lindy come here so late in the night just to apologize if she wasn't truly sorry.

"It's okay," Tried to dismiss Barry. The speedster might be fast on his feet, but he hadn't always been this good with words in uncomfortable situations, "I'm-"

"No, it's not okay," interrupted Lindy, "it wasn't right, and I hurt you. For that, I'm truly, truly, sorry."

Yeah, she did hurt him, but Barry's pride was making it hard to admit it out loud. Thankfully he wouldn't need to say a thing as Lindy continued:

"You're not my biological father, we all know that, but you've been there for my mom and me when we needed it. You've been there my entire life. It's going to sound stupid, but sometimes I just really miss my dad, even if I never met him, I just have this ghost pain, this hole, inside of me that I'll never be able to fill, but you being there help me keep going. It always helped. What I told you earlier was mean and totally uncalled for. I know you were just worried because you care…" she finished, gulping and sniffing loudly as silent tears streamed down her cheeks.

This small, but efficient speech, clenched Barry's heart tighter and sent his mind back to this moment when little Lindy was only seven years old and looking through some old photos of her father, searching for some connection to the man.

"The Flash once told me my dad was a hero; I only wish I was as strong as he was. I'm sorry for hurting you," she said, trying to look away and avoiding being observed in her moment of weakness as she never even told her mother about how she felt about never knowing her real, biological father.

"It's okay; you're strong. I know it took a lot of strength to come back here after what happened and even more to told me that. Your dad would be proud of you. I know I am," Barry told her truthfully, opening his arms to wrap her in a hug.

After a short hesitation, Lindy moved right unto the embrace and let the tears slowly flowed out of her watery eyes while Barry was gently massaging her back. As she finally moved away and wiped her face, she shyly asked, "am I still on for babysitting your little Peanut tomorrow?"

Barry chuckled softly, "of course you are. You'll always be welcome in this house," he reassured.

Blood or not, Barry knew the connection between him and little Lindy would always be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who needs a hug? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, it's always deeply appreciated and really help the writing motivation  
> One moment left in this companion piece plus a bonus moment after the Long Way Home final chapter (after Lindy learned he's the flash)


	9. March 2034

It might still be early, not even noon just yet; but the day was going as good as it could be. There was not a crime in sight, and it was a beautiful and an unusually warm March day. With all the cases done and closed at the station, Barry found himself free to spend some personal time with the people he cared about which meant, for today, to accept a coffee invitation with the young Lindy Carter. The young seventeen years old lady was enjoying the last day of her school's spring break.

Zipping his old beige jacket all the way to the top and putting his hands in his pockets, since while it might be warm for this period of the year, they were still in March, Barry smiled to himself. Walking side by side with the young Lindy, as she needed to make a quick stop at the bank before heading to CCJitters, Barry just felt so old suddenly as his mind drifted back to his younger days. Did he really push that girl around in a stroller a few times? The CSI director could remember that like it was yesterday; he could still remember this moment in his life where the thought of having kids on his own seemed like a reality far far away. Now, his twins were in elementary school, and his little Olivia was about to start kindergarten in the fall.

Walking slightly ahead of the hero, Lindy was wearing a dark blue pair of jeans and a long black coat with white stripes going in various directions. The young woman only had one year left before going to college, and she was already thinking about her application she would need to complete later this year.

Accelerating the pace, Barry caught up with the woman and moved past her as they reached Central City Gold Bank so he could open up the door to his deceased friend's daughter. Lindy smiled, and her cheek reddened a tad at the small gesture.

"You're still going to apply to med school?" Asked Barry when Lindy moved past him.

"Yeah, I am," she confirmed, nodding, while swiftly analysing her surrounding inside the building and starting to head toward a waiting line, "I just need to keep my grades up next year."

The bank wasn't too busy today; only a dozen people or so were presently there and distributed between three lines waiting to be served.

"I'm not worried about you, you're smart," confidently said Barry who really believed his words. This girl had been at the top of almost all of her classes during her high school; she was going to do great.

The only thing he used to be preoccupied about was to see Lindy taking a path driven by her desire to prove she could do just as much good in his world than her dad. But the hero eventually concluded that Lindy would always find a way to help others and not only because of her dad but because that's just the kind of person she was.

"Your father would be proud," quietly continued Barry, left wondering for a second if he really said it out loud or if he kept the thought in his hand.

The way Lindy rose her right hand to touch her necklace that managed to sneak out on his own from under her black coat proved she heard the comment. The jewellery was composed of a bright blue aquamarine stone locked in the second loop of a standing infinity sign and had been a gift from her mother when Lindy reached 16 years old. Apparently, the necklace was a little something Amanda received from Matthew not too long after they got engaged. It was probably the most treasured possession Lindy had and one she was carrying around her neck more often than not, even when it was just hiding underneath her shirt.

As the waiting line moved and the duo found themselves second in priority to be served, distractedly talking to one another, they didn't notice three hooded men entering the room. In the next instant, metallic sound of shackles being manipulated filled the room, quickly followed by terrified whispers. Turning on his feet and tensing up from head to toe, Barry let the electricity gathered in his body as he instinctively moved his right feet in front of his young friend. While the hero was protectively positioning himself in front of Amanda's daughter, the men, armed men, rose their weapons to the ceiling and fired a warning shot.

Here was the end of the lovely and peaceful day.

Considering how close Barry and Matt's daughter was to the counter, a surveillance camera was directed at them and watching their every move; it could be risky to take off at superspeed. Anyone analysing the security footage could eventually find out that the blur first originated from someone inside the bank unless Barry could take away the tapes and get Cisco to wipe out every footage before that happens. No matter what, if it was to come between risking his identity or protecting Lindy, there was no choice to make. The girl was family, and her well-being would come first, always.

Except, by the time Barry was done analysing the situation, the tallest of the three bank robbers went for the square electronic device on his belt and swiftly pressed four numbers on the numerical keyboard situated on top of it. His actions caused the lights on the length of the device to flash brightly in a mix of green and purple.

 _Damn_ , thought Barry, realizing what was happening after it was too late; the criminals had a portable power-dampening device.

These things had been a plague the second many of them started flooding the black market many years ago. Eventually, Team Flash and the police managed to find the source of the problem and put an end to it, but there was still a few of these things that would pop up once in a while and cause problems for the heroes. Good thing these devices were fragile and easily breakable. If only Barry could get close enough to get his hands on it. A simple and robust enough kick is usually good enough to do the trick. But, now, the speedster was powerless. Grinding his teeth together, Barry carefully examined the armed people as one moved to the counters to go for the money while the two others walked around the group of hostages.

"Everyone the ground, NOW!" Ordered the tallest one, the one with the device secured against his belt that looked like the leader. Everyone, including the hero and young woman complied.

"Barry," whispered Lindy in fear, shaking and reaching out to grab the left arm of the closest person she ever had to a father.

The man's opposite hand quickly found itself on top of the young lady's limb.

"Shh, I won't let anything happen to you," reassured Barry.

"Silence!" Shouted the leader, menacingly approaching the duo and waving his gun at them.

The criminal's eyes suddenly landed on the young lady's neck. Looking at the way the dark brown eyes shined and squinted slightly, Barry felt like the man was probably smiling underneath the mask at the sight of the valuable necklace.

"That's quite the jewellery you have there," said the mature and muffled voice, probably over 50 or 60 years old, through the mask, "you shouldn't walk out with this, nasty things could happen. You should let me take this burden from you," added the criminal, almost gently while offering the hand that wasn't holding the gun.

Keeping a firm grip on Barry's arm, Lindy's other and shaking hands rose up to her necklace.

"It's a gift from my dad," she said with shaking lips.

"Leave her alone," Barry growled.

Pushing himself on the palm of his hands, Barry tried to get up from under the gun that suddenly moved away from the girl and directed itself at him. The gasp of terror from the young lady reached his ears, but his mind stayed strong, and his body kept on moving.

"Stay down, boy," warned the man with his fingers going for the trigger. From the corner of his eyes, Barry could see the man's partner also tensing up while the third person kept on gathering the money.

Swallowing and hiding his fear under his emotional wall, Barry rose up all the way to his feet, ignoring the warning. If he could grab the power dampening device, he could get his powers back. Or, he could prevent Cisco from getting stuck in the same situation the second Vibe could come out of a breach once he'll hear about the robbery.

The weapon went to press against Barry's chest.

"Sit back, now, or you're dead," warned the bank's robber.

"Stop! Please!" Pleaded Lindy, yanking her necklace and breaking the chain without a second thought, "take it, but please don't hurt him!" she desperately asked, tears rising in her eyes as she offered the jewellery.

The robber chuckled, "your daughter is the smart one, look like it's not a trait she took from her old man."

The instant the man's gloved hand harshly grabbed the necklace from Lindy's hand, a blue portal started forming behind him and not too far from his partner surveying the hostages. Cisco. Had to be. There was no time left to lose if Barry didn't want his friend to find himself in the same situation. Surging forward, protectively putting down his head and leaning on the right to get out of the weapon's range, Barry grabbed the device and pulled it with all the strength he had.

Despite the fact everything unfolded in regular time, it still felt like everything happened one frame at the time while simultaneously happening too fast for anyone to comprehend it all. Barry's inner joy from being able to yank the power-dampening device from his adversary's belt and throw it on the ground got cut short as the other man redirected his weapon and pointed it back at the man. Just as a red, yellow and black shape jumped out of the breach, as another portal was appearing near the bank's entry and Barry was gathering his momentum to step on the electric box, a detonation got heard in the whole facility.

The cracking of the box under Barry's feet got lost under the gunshot's sound and the yell of agony coming out from the speedster.

"BARRY!" Screamed Lindy in despair, her voice booming in the whole room and catching Vibe's attention for a second.

The distraction was almost long enough for Vibe to get himself shot by the masked criminal near the counter.

Good thing Vibe didn't come alone because the second breacher, Gypsy, threw her red coloured vibrational blast at the person who was about to shoot her husband. Down on the floor, Lindy crawled her way to her father figure, shaking, and desperately trying to find the source of the bleeding that was quickly forming a small puddle on the ground. A sigh of relief came out of her lips when she heard Barry groaning in pain and saw him shifting slightly on the ground.

"Don't move," she whispered while trying to stay as low as possible.

At the same time, cursing under his breath for letting himself get distracted, Cisco turned around and put back his attention at the bank robber's leader. Meanwhile, injured and groaning in pain, Barry stubbornly pushed himself on the palms of his hands, to protectively put himself between Lindy and the action just as Cisco and Gypsy were throwing simultaneous attacks.

"Bar-" gasped Lindy, frozen in shock at the events; why was Barry playing the hero? He needed to stay down and not push himself.

More gunshot got fired and covered whatever Matt's daughter tried to say again, quickly followed by more vibe blasts. Pushing the pain away, Barry threw himself at his young friend and forced her to lay back before covering her with his own body, bleeding all over her coat at the same time.

After a few moments, silence finally took over in the room. Whimpering in pain and with tremors running all over his body, Barry felt his remaining strength leaving him quickly, and, in the next instant, all his weight fell on the woman he was trying to protect. Running footsteps announced the approach of Vibe before Lindy could call out for help.

Kneeling next to the duo, Cisco swiftly assisted Matt's daughter to frantically take off the deadweight off her and roll Barry on the ground and his back.

"Are you hurt?" Asked the Metahuman to the shaken lady who only could shake her head to the sides, unable to say another word. Her motion wasn't even done that the metahuman was scanning the wounded man on the ground with his brow furrowing in obvious worry.

"Barry? Can you hear me?" Asked Cisco, gently taking the man's face between his hands and tapping his cheek. With the closed eyes it was difficult to tell if the speedster was conscious or not.

Blinking slowly and pushing herself in a seated position, Lindy looked confused for a second; how did that guy know Barry's name? Oh, right. Probably when she screamed the man's name when the hero went down and the cavalry arrived.

Looking down, Vibe finally found the source of the blood; a hole on Barry's right side that was still bleeding profusely. Not giving any attention to his wife, knowing Gypsy had everything under control to finish cuffing the bad guys while the police were arriving, Cisco gently turned Barry on his side to get a better look to his friend's back. With all the blood on the wounded man, it was hard to tell at first if the bullet was still inside. But, upon closer look, Cisco managed to find an exit wound, which was good. In a way. The movement made Barry inhale sharply and quickly opened his eyes.

"Take it easy; we got you," gently said Cisco.

"Help him," asked Lindy, pleading as she found the strength to speak again. At the same time, she took her coat off and handed it to the hero who took it. Instantly understanding the meaning of it, Vibe pressed it against Barry who groaned in pain.

"Lindy-" whispered Barry, with half-opened eyes and looking around for the thing that was more important than his health.

"She's alright. You'll be too, hang in there," said Cisco before looking up at his wife who was finishing rounding up everyone and opening the bank's door to allow the police force to enter. It was over; the police were going to take the men into custody.

Rising his right arm in the air, Cisco indicated to his wife his intention of leaving to evacuate the wounded with a few definite signs. Earning a quick and instant nod, he pressed into his comms; "coming back, we have an injured-"

Cisco stopped mid-sentence, unsure how to made it clear about who he was bringing it without giving away he knew the patient. After a quick pause, under the nervous look of the young Lindy, Cisco spoke again to his interlocutor, "I'll explain everything, just be ready to treat a gunshot wound."

As Cisco was speaking and pressing on the wound, Lindy spotted something shiny next to the closest thing she had to a father; her necklace. Must've fallen off before the criminal got thrown away. By the time she picked it up, Vibe was already on his feet and opening a breach, which prompted Lindy to gently put a comforting hand on Barry's shoulder and look up at the breacher, "which hospital are you taking him?"

Her wet eyes stared at the man's goggle, desperate to go be with them.

Cisco's heart clenched at the sight; "I, I can't tell you, but I promise he'll be ok," he reassured.

If time weren't so pressing, she would've pushed the matter, but Lindy was well aware that her feelings came second to Barry's well-being. "Take care of him," she requested, not she really needed to.

"I will, I promise," assured Cisco before taking his friend by under the armpit and dragging him in the breach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go. It was the final big moment of Barry and Lindy happening during the time-jump in the last chapter of Long Way Home, but I do have a bonus chapter to give you from after Lindy found out Barry is the flash
> 
> Leave a comment! Are you happy to have these 9 in-between chapters to add to The Long Way Home's story?


	10. August 2039

"That was amazing, dad!" Exclaimed Dawn, walking back in the cortex alongside her twin brother and her father,

"You're still not bad at all for an old man," teased Don, smiling widely from ear to ear,

Both twins were just weeks away from being fifteen years old and, after years of asking (or more like begging) they finally convinced their parent to let them run into danger. Granted, it was only a fire, not even a Metahuman fight, and both young teenagers stayed behind their dad for most of it, but it still was their first official mission. The twins have been dreaming and training their whole life for that moment, and they were shining brightly in their purple and white speedster's suits. Their suit was all Cisco's made, of course.

Original Team Flash wasn't getting any younger as all of them were already in their fifties or being on the edge of hitting it, but they still hadn't lost their touch. The enthusiasm got cut short when the trio of speedsters stopped and took a real look inside the room to realize Cisco wasn't alone in there. Standing next to him was twenty-two years old Lindy Carter wearing a clean black pant going down 'til a little over her ankles and a black and white sleeveless flannel shirt. Completing her fashioned outfit was opened black shoes with low heels.

"Hey Lindy," greeted Barry while taking off his cowl, "I thought college had started earlier this week."

The seriousness on his young friend's face made him lost his smile. Something was up, and the speedster had a good idea what it might be. When she finally spoke up, her voice was loud and free of any doubt.

"I made my choice; I want to do it," strongly affirmed Lindy.

The second she was done talking, she closed her lips and kept them tightly sealed to prevent them from shaking. The young woman needed her anxiety hidden from the rest of the world.

"Lindy, are you sure?" Asked Barry, advancing closer and sharing a glance with Cisco who shook his head one quick time to answer. Lindy wasn't going to budge.

"I need to see my dad, I made my decision," she repeated while, behind Barry, the twins took a step back and stayed out of the conversation, "I can't keep living in the past, especially in one I never knew. I need to do this if I want to be able to move on. Please Barry," she asked, struggling to keep her emotions; tears were starting to be heard in her voice.

Oh Lindy.

Looking back at his friend for confirmation, Barry saw Cisco shrugging at him, "if that's what you guys truly want to do, I'll help."

Seem like there was no getting out of it, "alright," yielded the speedster who approached his younger friend and gently touched her arm. "But if we do this, don't you want for your mom to be there? We could use a way better memory for her to revisit."

"No," affirmed Lindy without hesitation, "I have to see it. I want to see how my dad saved you."

So, there was no changing her mind.

"Alright, let's go down to the Breach room," said Barry. There was nothing he hadn't already discussed with Matt's daughter last week, and he couldn't come up with any new argument at the moment.

For her whole life, that girl had been living in the shadow of a father she never met and who saved the Flash. It was hard, if not impossible, to blame her fascinating toward the man. Maybe Barry shouldn't have told her about the whole set of Cisco's abilities, but now that the cat was out of the bag and Lindy had set her mind into seeing her dad, there was no getting out.

It was a real double-edged sword. Best case scenario; this could help Lindy close that page of her past and move on with her life. But, worst case scenario, it could take her on a downhill spiral, especially considering how she was insisting on seeing that moment in her dad's life. She wanted, needed, to witness that point in time when her dad was Hyde's prisoner and when he convinced Barry not to take his life. It wasn't exactly the brightest moment in both men's lives.

Not too long after that, Cisco, Barry, and Lindy all found themselves sitting in separate chairs positioned in a tight circle and they were all wearing a small metallic device on their head to monitor their brain waves. Caitlin, who joined them in the lab, had been insisted about them having their vitals monitored, just in case.

"Alright, Barry is gonna think hard about that moment to help me take us there. As long as the three of us stay physically connected, we should be able to stay in the vibe together," explained Cisco before leaning forward and offering his hands that got grabbed by the two people in front of him.

"Remember, Lindy; I'm right there by your side. We'll both be the whole time. And, if you need to get out, just tell us," added Barry, waiting for his young friend to swallow and nod. She was as ready as she would ever be.

Taking a shaky breath, or two, Barry forced his mind back to the locked memory he stored as far away as possible. He surely never thought that one day he would go back, one way or another, at one of the darkest points of his life, a time the CSI wished he would have forgotten but never managed to do so. It might have happened 23 years ago, but the mature man could remember almost every single detail as clearly today as he did then; this memory was forever engraved in his mind.

When the trio's consciousness landed in summer 2016 and the surroundings became clear, Barry felt his heart miss a beat in his physical body and he suddenly took a wrong step, stumbling, when he saw his way younger self in the cage. The young Barry Allen was sitting against the rock wall and in the sand, with a broken piece of pottery in his hand, and was clearly busy sharpening it. For a fraction of a second, the older Barry forgot when he was; he forgot he was in a vision and that he was transported back into that moment in time. The hero agreed to do this to guide everyone, as he was the only one there who was still alive today, and to support Lindy, but at this instant, he was the one needing support. It fell to his friends to firmly grab his arms and keep him steady.

"You're ok, man?"

"Barry?" Lindy asked worriedly, scrutinizing the man's features.

On the bright side, this little incident helped eased Lindy's fear and anxiety for a moment as she was focusing on Barry's health while the speedster was taking sharp and shaky breaths.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," finally answer Barry, taking hold on himself just in time to see the sleeping form on the ground of the adjacent cell shifting and moving. The other man was waking up and sitting, looking confused.

This time, it was Lindy to turn around and freeze, overwhelmed by emotions. Matthew Carter, the dad she never knew, was right there before her. Well, not physically, but still.

"Dad," she breathed out, leaving her lips parted once the word came out of her mouth. The young lady didn't even feel or remember letting go of Barry, nor did she sensed the man comfortably pressing her against him.

In front of them, Matt shouted something to the shaking speedster and grabbed the bars between their cells as he was trying to get Barry's attention and stop his friend from killing himself with that sharp piece of pottery. The words got lost on the trio, especially on Lindy who had too many emotions to hear or see a single thing other than her dad. Like a piece of metal attracted by a magnet, she found herself moving closer and closer to her biological father.

 _''I know you're in pain, but please listen to me. I'm begging you'_ , said Matthew in the past after Barry pierced his skin just enough to free drips of blood.

 _'We'll…. never... escape. Nobody will_ never _find us,'_  answered the Barry from the past, with tears cascading down his face.

Passing through the bars like some ghost and shaking like a leaf, Lindy reached for her father. Finally, at arm's reach, Lindy fell on her knees next to him and tried to make contact, only to see her hand pass through her father. They weren't really there; it was just a vision of the past. But to see her father so close, and alive, was only making the lady most desperate to touch him.

"Dad, I... I," she sobbed while trying to touch him again and even hug him.

 _'You want to know about the first time I saw the Flash? Want to know about the time you saved my life?'_  Asked Matt, which caused Barry of 2016 to stop what he was doing and listen carefully.

While the present Barry was standing behind her, Lindy sat on the ground, sobbing harder by the second and leaning on her side to position her head just over her father's shoulder even if she couldn't make physical contact. It still made her feel closer than she ever had been to her biological father as the man slowly narrated the one time the Flash saved him from a car speeding toward him. Later on, Barry would learn that it was a lie improvised on the spot by Matt who was desperately trying to save his friend's life because he cared about the kid. Because that's just the kind of person Matthew was.

 _'Look, kid, all I want to say is that you saved me that day and I have faith you can do it again, no matter how dire the situation looks right now. I believe in you, kid, always will',_  added Matt to the desperate and suicidal speedster, managing to get him to listen.

Lindy looked up at the 2016 Barry's distress and started to really, carefully, listen to the conversation. She was absorbing every single word of it. Matthew, her dad, wasn't fighting some overly powerful Metahuman, nor was he running on water or saving the world, but at this instant, he was bringing Barry back from the edge which was a hero's work in her book. Destiny might've snatched away a father from her, but because of this moment, she ultimately ended up gaining another one.

"I love you, dad," she softly whispered over the words being spoken all around her.

 _'If I die, this man might let you go. It's me he wants, I'm the reason he took you,'_  added Barry in the past, still sobbing while struggling to keep a firm grip on his improvised weapon pressed against his wrists.

 _'You really think that?'_  Added Matt, staying calm and keeping his composure,  _'he'll never let me go, even if you're gone. Stop blaming yourself and let's move forward.'_

Lindy exhaled profoundly and moved her arm around Matthew, uncaring about how her limbs would pass through everything she touched; her soul still felt that ghost hug; "I'll be ok, I'll move forward, I will," she whispered to herself.

Moments later, as the 2016 Barry let go of his weapon, the older Barry gently took a grab on the young woman's arm and exercised the slightest of pressure on it. It was just enough to push her back into reality without dragging her against her will; "come on, let's go home."

Nodding Lindy backed up a tad and used her forearm to wipe the tears. Her mouth opened and closed the next instant, unable to form a word thanks to the emotions overwhelming her. She still nodded and gave an effort to push herself up, helped by the strong rock that was Barry guiding her back to her feet.

Barry's own eyes teared up a bit more as he saw his old self speaking again to his friend; _'Thanks for not giving on me, brother'_

"I hope I didn't let you down, old friend. I'll protect her," whispered Barry before nodding to Cisco; it was time for them to return to the real world.

The instant Barry's eyes opened to his time and reality; it was to see Lindy taking off the monitoring device before letting her head fall between her hands. The poor young woman was shaking. When the Flash advanced toward her, Lily jumped to her feet and threw herself between the arms Barry barely had time to open. Instinctively wrapping his arms around Matt's daughter, Barry allowed his head to lower on her shoulder.

"It's okay, you're okay now," he soothed, massaging her back.

"Thank you," she managed to articulate between two sobs, "thank..."

Barry exhaled profoundly and held her tighter. They stayed that way for what felt like forever 'till eventually, psychological exhaustion took over and Matt's daughter.

Not long after that, Lindy found herself soundly asleep on a medical bed upstairs.

"How is she?" Inquired Cisco as Barry walked out of the room to allow Lindy to sleep under the sharp eyes of the twins; she had been watching them long enough when they were younger to get a return of favour.

"She's…. resting. She's going to be okay," affirmed Barry, looking back. "I wasn't sure about this at first, but it got her the closure she needed to go on with her life."

Moving back a lock of black hair behind his ear, Cisco looked behind his friend to try and get a glimpse at the back of the sleeping woman. "Yeah, I think you're right." he added, smiling.

"Thanks for doing this," gratefully said the speedster while gently patting his best friend's shoulder as he passed by right before Cisco turned around and faced the same direction than the CSI.

Together, both men started heading toward the cortex's exit.

Except, by the time they reached the middle of the room, Cisco made a full stop and forced Barry to turn around to look at him. The seriousness in Cisco's features had the hero frowning in worry. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Cisco looked back again, shifting his weight from one leg to another, "Barry, look, I know that when you asked me to do the same for you, to make you witness what Olivia did for you, right after it happened, I-" Vibe stopped and took a deep breath. Once that was done, he finally looked back at his friend, "I turned you down, bad, and I warned you about how it would only hurt you more than you already were hurting. But, now, seeing all the good it ultimately did to Lindy... I'm-"

Biting his lips, Barry seriously reflected on in his friend's speech and apologies for a moment with his glance moving from Cisco to the sleeping Lindy and back to Cisco again. Yeah, dismissing this in a heartbeat would be lying to both himself and his best friend.

At first, back then, Barry was hurt and even a bit angry when Cisco shut the door on him at his request. For a while, it almost felt like payback for that time Barry refused him to go back in time to save Dante, but that was a long, long time ago. That was long before the twins were even born.

"Cisco, listen," he finally said, looking straight in his best friend's eyes. "I would be lying if I said I didn't still think about Olivia; I do miss her and I do still visit her statue, but it's more to honour her sacrifice than to grief her. It happened over twenty years ago. I'll always remember her, and I'll always carry a part of her with me, but I'm not looking back. She's not holding me back," he tried to explain.

"Yeah, but-"

"I'm okay," promised Barry, putting his hand back on Cisco's shoulder. "Lindy needed this since she never met her father. But, me? I've met Olivia, I've spent a few weeks with her and made some incredible memories during this short time, I don't need to see her again. My Olivia is waiting for me at home with her mother. "

"Are you sure?"

"I am. Really, I'm okay," answered Barry without missing a beat. "But I really appreciate the thought," assured Barry.

Reassured Cisco smiled tenderly, "thanks, man."

"Of course," said Barry, also smiling.

They were going to be ok, all of them. Time was passing them by like a hurricane, and there was no stopping it; the only thing they could do was be grateful for every day they had. It sounded cheesy, but in their crazy lives where death was a harsh reality that just kept on striking without warning, it was the one thing that was a certainty.

In a few years, the next generation of superheroes would take over and between the Tornado Twins and Cisco's daughter Holly, they had the foundations of a great team in the making. Even little Olivia expressed interest in assisting her siblings in the future and Lindy once let it slipped that she was interested in giving a hand from time to time There was no stopping any of them from helping people, that's just who they were.

Olivia Woodward and Matthew Carter died decades ago. No matter how important they had been in Barry's life, despite the short period their path crossed, it was time for everyone to move forward. It was time to let go and embrace the legacy both Olivia and Matt helped created by protecting and saving Barry when his world was seemingly ending around them.

They might be gone, but as long as S.T.A.R. would be standing and one soul would be wandering in these halls, they'll never be forgotten.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chance to say farewell to this piece and the whole trilogy altogether. Are you sad to let the characters, like Lindy, Matt or the two Olivia, go?
> 
> Counting the planning, it took almost three years to write this whole thing (counting the trilogy); I'm the first to be bittersweet to see the end of it and I wanna thank with the bottom of my heart every single person who was amazing enough to support and comment. Words cannot express what these comments meant. Writing and editing alone is easily 5 to 10 hours BY chapter, so we're talking at least 600/700 hours of work during these three years and the only ''pay'' I had for this was, or the only way I had to know people were still reading and loving it, were your amazing comments. I never would've be able to finish this without you guys. I don't think you realize how much everything you said meant to me and made my day every single time, no matter how short or simple they were.
> 
> So: THANKS, THANKS, THANKS….(X1000000), and THANK YOU SO MUCH. Billions of hugs to each and everyone of you. You guys are truly amazing. And, congratulation for making it through over 210 000 words(!)
> 
> I'll see you guys tomorrow, it's a promise, for the 2nd (out of 3) chapter of Daughter's nightmare and a new Zero Hour's chapter on Friday. Thank you once last time :)


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